‘So stressful’: Calgary banquet hall closure leaves couples without venue or refunds

Several couples say the White Diamond Conference Centre closed without warning and won't return their reservation deposits.

A Calgary woman is speaking out after her wedding reception venue suddenly closed without informing her and is refusing to return her deposit.

Nga Nghiem said she and her fiancé paid $6,000 to secure White Diamond Conference Centre for their Aug. 1 wedding.

Now four months ahead of their big day, the couple is left scrambling to find a venue after it suddenly shut down.

“We don’t have a reception venue. This is so stressful,” Nghiem told CTV News.

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She said they chose White Diamond because they had recently attended other events there.

The couple met with Adam Askar, the venue’s operator, in July 2025 and paid the deposit.

“It was $3,000 in cash and then $3,000 in e-transfer. Adam Askar wanted an e-transfers to a personal account,” Nghiem said.

“That should’ve been a red flag, but we were like whatever. We have been to this event (centre) multiple times so, we trusted him.”

On Feb. 1, the couple went online to verify the address before printing out their wedding invitations and saw the venue was no longer operating.

“We looked on Google reviews, and it turns out the place is permanently closed,” Nghiem said.

Nga said they contacted Askar and Ravi Behal, who owns White Diamond Conference Centre, by email and phone but were told they were not getting their deposit back.

The couple said Askar instead asked for more money to sign a new contract to provide food for their wedding at a venue they secure themselves.

“He (Askar) had the audacity to be like, ‘can I have more money so I can do your wedding?’ and we were like, ‘no are you insane right now? No, you’re not. We want the refund,’” Nghiem said.

CTV News reached out to Askar, Behal and White Diamond Conference Centre and received a statement from White Diamond Conference Centre’s Board of Directors:

“We are aware of developments that have created uncertainty for those who have scheduled events at the White Diamond Conference Centre. The Board of Directors is working with qualified advisers to assess the situation and determine appropriate steps. Since this work is ongoing, we cannot comment further.”

CTV News also spoke with John Parhar, the Vancouver-based owner of the building, who said White Diamond was several months behind on rent and when the venue closed on Jan. 10.

He added that the venue was left damaged with wires cut, and the venue’s podium was missing, as well as some televisions and appliances.

Parhar said he went to police, who told him it was a civil matter with his leaser.

But the Calgary Police Service said it is investigating three separate fraud-related reports associated with cancelled bookings with the White Diamond Banquet Hall and Conference Centre between January and February.

Those reports, CPS said, relate to deposits paid to the business that weren’t refunded following its closure.

No charges have been laid.

Nghiem says she and her fiancé filed a police report with CPS.

Now down $6,000, Nghiem and her fiancé are scrambling to find a reception venue that can fit 100 people for the August long weekend. The couple has already sent save-the-dates out to 100 guests, but Nghiem says they might have to proceed with a smaller wedding.

She also hopes to warn others who might be unaware White Diamond has closed — and says she’s spoken to several other people who are in the same situation.

“It’s important to bring this to the news so other people know that if you’ve already put a deposit down or if you already paid for this venue, it’s no longer operating, so you better start looking so you’re not in the same position as us,” she said.